Halvor Egner Granerud sets the pace during qualification at Four Hills Tournament 2022/23

Norway's Halvor Egner Granerud set the pace during qualification round ahead of the first leg of the 2022/23 Four Hills ski jumping tournament in Oberstdorf, Germany, on Wednesday (28 December). 

Granerud was in fine fettle with a leap of 133.5 metres (155.5 points) on the HS 137 hill, outshining some of the world’s best ski fliers, including defending champion Kobayashi Ryoyu of Japan. The Norwegian ace was the only athlete to score more than 150 points. 

While Granerud topped the qualification standings, overall World Cup leader Dawid Kubacki looked impressive in his bid for a maiden Four Hills title. The Pole produced the second-best performance of the qualification round scoring 146.6 with a jump of 132.0m. 

Six jumpers, including three-time individual champion Kamil Stoch of Poland, scored more than 140 points on the day. 

Although defending Olympic champion Kobayashi did not perform to his lofty standards, he did count among the 50 qualifiers for a shot at another Four Hills title. Last season Kobayashi came painstakingly close to clinching a historic second Grand Slam stumbling at the final hurdle after winning the first three legs of the competition.